70%

And if you even suggest lowering the amount spent. The Pentagon immediately stops supplying body armor to the troops and blames you for killing them...

About half, publicly at least. Half of all this budget will go directly to private contractors.

We actually don't know. The Pentagon regularly fails audits.

Compared to previous budgets, less. The rise in spending is 1%, whilst the rise in military wages will be 4.5% to reach a $15 Minium wage for federal employees (Neither is inflation adjusted).

Correct!

What's a MAC and what do they do? A Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) is a private health care insurer that has been awarded a geographic jurisdiction to process Medicare Part A and Part B (A/B) medical claims or Durable Medical Equipment (DME) claims for Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) beneficiaries. CMS relies on a network of MACs to serve as the primary operational contact between the Medicare FFS program and the health care providers enrolled in the program. MACs are multi-state, regional contractors responsible for administering both Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B claims. MACs perform many activities including:

Process Medicare FFS claims Make and account for Medicare FFS payments Enroll providers in the Medicare FFS program Handle provider reimbursement services and audit institutional provider cost reports Handle redetermination requests (1st stage appeals process) Respond to provider inquiries Educate providers about Medicare FFS billing requirements Establish local coverage determinations (LCD’s) Review medical records for selected claims Coordinate with CMS and other FFS contractors

ETA; Wrt military private contractors, they used to be called "mercenaries." Iirc, Rene Descarte was, so make of that what you will.

Private contractors do help defend this country. Yes there are bad apples. I live near a ton of these private contractors since I live right outside DC. A lot of these guys are former troops. If you’re talking about the C-Suites, well, that’s an issue not exclusive to defense contracting.